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The Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors today elected Gordon M. Sprenger to serve as its chair. Sprenger, who joined the Orchestra Board in 2006, is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Allina Health System.

Since joining the Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors, Sprenger has chaired the organization’s Architect Selection Committee and its Board, Development and Governance Committee, as well as serving on its Executive, Audit and Human Resources committees, and as a Campaign Vice Chair for the Building for the Future Campaign. As President and CEO of Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Allina Health System, Sprenger led the state’s largest not-for-profit health care system and additionally served as board chair for both the American Hospital Association and the Minnesota Hospital Association. He has served on the boards of corporations such as Medtronic and St. Paul Companies and non-profits including St. Olaf College, Luther Theological Seminary and the Midtown Global Market.

“I am privileged to have been asked to serve as chair during this important moment in the life of the Minnesota Orchestra,” said Sprenger. “Our collective work is now to restore trusting, respectful relationships within the organization among musicians, board and administration and to build broad bridges of support to our greater community. By focusing on collaboration, and our shared passion for world-class performances of the classical music that gives our organization its mission, I’m confident we will launch a positive new era for the Minnesota Orchestra and its audiences and supporters.”

Said clarinetist Tim Zavadil, “The Musicians of the Orchestra are optimistic that the new leadership of the orchestra board has a commitment to world-class music and a deep connection to our community. The Musicians are eager to return to the stage next week and begin sharing music with our audience and classical music lovers in Orchestra Hall. We look forward to working with the new board chair, Gordon Sprenger.”

We are thrilled to announce that the Minnesota Orchestra and former Music Director Osmo Vänskä have won a Grammy Award in the Best Orchestral Performance category! The album of Jean Sibelius’ First and Fourth Symphonies was produced and recorded by Swedish label BIS Records.

The Musicians are deeply proud of our work with Osmo, and we congratulate him and our friends at BIS for this honor. We are elated to have been recognized among such incredible world-class orchestras, and we thank all who have supported the Minnesota Orchestra to make this Grammy win possible.

“The winning of a Grammy award for Best Orchestral Performance confirms where the Musicians and our leader Osmo Vänskä were as a symphony orchestra before the lockout. We were a great orchestra enjoying a special relationship with our music director, Osmo Vänskä, that brought worldwide acclaim to Minnesota. This is also why we need him to return and carry on with the projects and partnership that have brought this orchestra to great heights. We know this community deserves an orchestra of that level of distinction,” said Tony Ross, Principal Cellist.

We encourage everyone to attend our Homecoming Concerts February 7 / 8 and February 14/15where attendees will receive a free copy of the Grammy-winning album!

The Musicians wish to congratulate our colleagues and friends in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for their recording collaboration with Maria Schneider and soprano Dawn Upshaw: “Winter Morning Walks” won Grammys for best contemporary classical composition and classical vocal solo.

The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra are excited to return to our home at Orchestra Hall for the newly announced classical subscription season. We invite you to share a magnificent season with us -filled with great music and friends, both new and old.

Several concerts from our “indie” season have been preserved, including an appearance by superstar violinist Joshua Bell in April, as well as Grammy Celebration concerts in March and historic Northrop reopening concerts in May with former Music Director Osmo Vänskä. We are also gratified to continue the Common Chords project with week-long festival in Hibbing. Common Chords is a fantastic vehicle for forging profound relationships and cultural partnerships with communities around our state.

Stephen Hough

We look forward to working again with great artists familiar to our audiences. Pianist Stephen Hough joins us for Rachmaninoff’s iconic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Sommerfest Artistic Director Andrew Litton shares his talents at both the podium and the piano. Associate Conductor Courtney Lewis showcases Mahler’s 5th Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor Sarah Hicks brings Bernstein’s West Side Story to life. Minnesota composer Steve Heitzeg has a new work in celebration of Orchestra Hall’s reopening and guest conductors Yan Pascal Tortelier and Mark Wigglesworth traverse musical territory from the beautiful to the breathtaking.

Eric Whitacre

We extend an enthusiastic welcome to the new artists coming to collaborate with the Orchestra. Composer-conductor Eric Whitacre makes his debut with a choral-orchestral spectacular. Additional guest conductors include Christopher Warren-Green and Minnesota Opera Music Director Michael Christie. We also look forward to introducing pianists Daniil Trifonov, Michael McHale and Natasha Paremski to Minnesota audiences.

Subscription packages for the 2014 classical season are available to renewing and new subscribers beginning January 27, 2014. Individual tickets are available starting on February 9, 2014.

Packages and tickets can be purchased online at minnesotaorchestra.org or in person at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Centre, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

The Orchestra Hall Box Office will be open beginning two hours prior to concert start time through intermission for ticketed performances.

Special Box Office and lobby hours begin at 4 p.m. on days of the Minnesota Orchestra’s homecoming concerts on February 7, 8, 14 and 15.

Return to Orchestra Hall with the Musicians and Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski for concerts February 7th and 8th featuring Beethoven’s Third Symphony. The homecoming continues February 14th and 15th as Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts Holst’s Planets and the Elgar Cello Concerto with soloist Steven Isserlis

Tickets on-sale beginning January 22. The official season launches later in February with a complete season announcement to follow later this month. The public is invited to attend a free open house at Orchestra Hall before each homecoming concert.

The Minnesota Orchestra today announced plans for two weeks of homecoming concerts February 7 through 15, offering audiences the first chance to hear the orchestra perform in renovated Orchestra Hall.

The Orchestra’s return begins February 7 and 8 with a pair of historic concerts led by the ensemble’s eminent Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, highlighted by Beethoven’s heroic Third Symphony and Skrowaczewski’s own powerful orchestration of Bach’s D-minor Toccata and Fugue—the work that opened the first concert at Orchestra Hall in 1974.

French conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier continues the musical homecoming February 14 and 15 with a set of Valentine’s weekend concerts that includes an all-British program of Holst’s popular The Planets and Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the latter featuring virtuoso soloist Steven Isserlis.

All concerts begin at 8 p.m., and all are preceded by a free public open house at Orchestra Hall, with doors opening at 4 p.m. Members of the community are invited to become acquainted with the renovated facility, while subscribers may survey seat locations and renew series tickets. No tickets or reservations are required to attend the open house.

“We are thrilled to return to Orchestra Hall, our home, and the home for world class symphonic music in this community. Stanislaw Skrowaczewski conducting Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony will be a triumphant moment for the Minnesota Orchestra,” said Tony Ross, principal cellist.

Skrowaczewski’s artistic relationship with the Minnesota Orchestra extends more than five decades, nearly half of the ensemble’s history, and it is fitting for him to lead our homecoming to the Hall he helped build, reopening just as it opened 40 years ago: with his own orchestration of a Bach masterpiece.

The homecoming concerts, held at Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis, are performed on Friday, February 7; Saturday, February 8; Friday, February 14; and Saturday, February 15, with each concert beginning at 8 p.m. and preceded by a free public open house beginning at 4 p.m.

Tickets to these concerts will be available online at minnesotaorchestra.org starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22.

Ticket holders will receive a copy of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Grammy-nominated recording of Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 1 and 4 with their order.

The four homecoming concerts are a prelude to the full 2014 Minnesota Orchestra season. Additional announcements about the season will be forthcoming later this month.

Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, the Minnesota Orchestra’s music director from 1960 to 1979, welcomes the ensemble and the community back to Orchestra Hall with concerts that begin with the first music heard at the Hall’s opening in 1974—his own orchestration of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Also on the program are the Richard Strauss tone poem Don Juan and Ludwig van Beethoven’s heroic Third Symphony.

Tickets: Available online at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22. Ticket holders will receive a copy of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Grammy-nominated recording of Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 1 and 4 with their order.

French conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier continues the Minnesota Orchestra’s homecoming, leading a program of two British masterworks—Edward Elgar’s exquisite Cello Concerto, featuring the composer’s countryman Steven Isserlis as soloist; and Gustav Holst’s The Planets, an astrological sojourn of music ranging from warlike to jovial, with an ethereal close that includes the women of the Minnesota Chorale, the Orchestra’s principal chorus.

Tickets: Available online at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22. Ticket holders will receive a copy of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Grammy-nominated recording of Sibelius’ Symphonies No. 1 and 4 with their order.

Tickets will be available starting at 5 p.m. on January 22, 2014, at minnesotaorchestra.org. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Centre, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; offices are closed on January 20 for the Martin Luther King holiday). The Orchestra Hall Box Office will be open beginning at 4 p.m. on days of the homecoming concerts. Prices listed do not include a $5 service charge per transaction for online orders. There are no service charges for in-person transactions at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office or Orchestra Hall Box Office. A non-discountable $5 facility fee is included in the price of each individual ticket. No refunds. Tickets to homecoming concerts are non-exchangeable. All sales are final.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant.

The lockout has been an emotional and tumultuous journey. Despite the struggle and difficulty of this process, it is remarkable just how often the overwhelming emotion for us has been gratitude. We would like to try to thank the people who have helped to get us to where we are today, though it would be impossible to mention every individual who has contributed to this moment, nor could we fully express how much their efforts have meant to us.

First of all, we thank our families. They endured the uncertainty and hardship with us, often separated from each other for weeks or even months at a time.

We thank our colleagues in other orchestras throughout the world. They hired us and welcomed us into their orchestras as honored guests, time and time again. Their financial generosity was stunning – from the beginning to the end of these 16 months, they never stopped sending us substantial donations. What’s more, the American Federation of Musicians and the International Conference of Symphony Orchestra Musicians (ICSOM) provided a seemingly inexhaustible supply of emphatic advocacy and assistance. We owe particular gratitude to our own Local 30-73 in the Twin Cities for their incredible efforts.

We thank everyone who made our self-produced concerts possible, especially the phenomenal conductors and soloists who shared their musicality and passion so that the voice of this orchestra was never silent and never alone. We are deeply grateful to Osmo Vänskä for a farewell concert in October of 2013 that none of us will ever forget.

We thank our tireless volunteers. So many were eager to help any way they could, whether that meant writing letters, selling those green mugs at intermission, or offering their homes for concerts and fundraisers. There was a daunting amount of work to be done, but there was never a shortage of hands to willingly share the load.

We thank the organizations that formed in response to this situation. Orchestrate Excellence continues to offer thoughtful insight into what the orchestra is and how it can be more. Save Our Symphony Minnesota lit a fire under thousands of supporters looking for a way to make their voices heard and advocate for the Minnesota Orchestra. The Young Musicians of Minnesota hearten and inspire us as no one else can.

We thank those who kept the orchestra present in the media, especially the writers at MinnPost who dug deeply into the many issues at hand. We are so grateful for the bloggers, who exhaustively researched and dissected this process. Their insight and writing is invaluable.

We thank our civic leaders and legislators who used their influence to help bring about a solution. They recognize that the Minnesota Orchestra is important, not only as a treasured element of our cultural identity, but because an orchestra with an international presence serves as Minnesota’s cultural ambassador to the world. Special thanks to Mayor Betsy Hodges for speaking out on many occasions and in many forums.

We thank the board of the orchestra. For months now, we have all been hearing that this was a dispute that might never be resolved, that might actually end the Minnesota Orchestra. Both musician and board member negotiating teams continued talking and looking for creative ways to move forward and compromise. Despite our differences, both sides ultimately collaborated on an agreement that would allow us to move forward. Now we are at the beginning of a new era, and we look forward to continuing our work together with the board that supported us as we reached the height of our achievements in 2012.

Finally and most importantly, we thank you, our audience and our community. Without you, we simply would not be here today. Your generous donations, your kind and encouraging emails, and your love of this orchestra – these are the things that got us through the last 488 days. You were tireless and persistent, and you’ve made it clear to everyone that great orchestral music is valued and cherished in Minnesota. Each concert that we performed during the lockout began the same way: we entered the stage together and our audience responded with a thunderous and sustained standing ovation. You will never know just how much that meant to every single one of us, every single time, and the strength that you gave us through that generous gesture.

You have shared our vision of a world-class orchestra for our community, and we are ready for the hard work of rebuilding trust based on that common vision. As the path of the lockout comes to an end, we embark with hope on a new path of creativity, growth, and collaboration. We couldn’t be in better company than yours as we begin this journey.

The Musicians and the Minnesota Orchestra Board of Directors have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, effective February 1, that brings the lockout of the Musicians to a conclusion. The Orchestra’s first concert performances back on stage at Orchestra Hall are anticipated in early February and will be announced shortly.

“The Musicians are pleased that we have come to a solution with our board, and we are ready to begin the hard work that lies ahead together. We are eager to perform for our community at home in Orchestra Hall once again. We have seen firsthand the deep love for this orchestra, and we are confident that this community will, in fact, continue to support a world-class symphony orchestra,” said Tim Zavadil, clarinetist and negotiator.

Keeping salaries in the top ten was a critical issue as it allows the orchestra to attract and retain the finest musicians in the country, building on the tradition of excellence that has been cultivated by the community over many generations. The agreement achieves this priority.

With this agreement in place, we look forward to working with new board leadership to rebuild our relationship and the trust within the organization. We take heart that our treasured relationship with our audience will continue at Orchestra Hall.

The Musicians thank each and every individual and organization that has supported maintaining a great orchestra for Minnesota over the past 16 months. We have been strong because of you and we will need your continuing strength and passionate voices as we move forward together.

We are excited to work with you, our engaged community partners, as we re-vitalize the Minnesota Orchestra. Reuniting all who love great music and this orchestra, we can fulfill our mission of preserving this 110-year old institution and taking it to new heights.

We will keep you informed of details as they become available in the coming days.

The Musicians celebrate the careers of three amazing individuals who have retired from the Minnesota Orchestra in recent months. Julie Haight-Curran, Personnel Manager, Tim Eickholt, Stage Manager, and Terry Tilley, Sound Engineer, are treasured members of our orchestra family who will be missed terribly. All three have served the orchestra and the music heard on stage with their myriad of talents, integrity, and dedication. They have stood by the Musicians during the lockout and helped us continue to bring music to our community. We honor them and wish them the very best in the future.

Tim Eickholt retiring Head Stage Manager

Terry Tilley retiring Sound Engineer

Julie Haight retiring Personnel Manager

Tim Eickholt

Our legendary Stage Manager, Tim Eickholt, retired September 1, 2013.

Tim was drafted into the U. S. Army in March 1969 and served in Vietnam. After 21 months serving his country, Tim was honorably discharged and returned home to Minneapolis and returned to his job with the Minneapolis Symphony.

Tim was Assistant Stage Manager until the retirement of long-time (and also legendary) Stage Manager Bob Gubbins. Tim was appointed Stage Manager at this time.

It would be impossible to list Tim’s immeasurable contributions as stage manager, but it is well known and acknowledged he went well beyond any job description.

Tim grew up in a family of stagehands, with both his father and uncle as fellow members of the trade. He has a unique and extensive history of the Minnesota Orchestra, show business in general, as well as managing a concert hall. One would be hard pressed to find a stage manager with more musical knowledge and a greater love of music. Tim especially enjoys Shostakovich.

Tim is a master designer, builder, and leader. The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra have great comfort knowing their valuable instruments are transported all over the globe in trunks designed and built by Tim and his colleagues on the Stage Crew.

Tim was masterful when handling a huge crew – planning and setting up any kind of “show”, or dealing with music directors, guest conductors, choruses, stars and divas, every member of the orchestra, and all departments of the management. He anticipated and implemented all demands and potential problems, saving time and resources through careful planning, thus eliminating stress and heartache.

There have been the countless tours, from run-outs to major international tours with too many details to list. Suffice to say, Tim is respected worldwide, from London to Vienna, Berlin to Paris, Hong Kong to Sydney, New York to Minneapolis and St. Paul, and all concert halls in between.

In Tim’s words, “My job is to make it happen.”

Tim made it happen, and it was always with class, dignity and professionalism.

The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra stand up and applaud Mr. Timothy Eickholt – He will be missed by all!

Terry Tilley

The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra wish to honor Terry Tilley, our esteemed sound engineer, who retired under duress this fall. We have been lucky to work with Terry at Orchestra Hall since 1978, and we wish him well in the next chapter of his life.

Terry has led an impressively varied career, including work with artists as diverse as the Grateful Dead, Ella Fitzgerald, and Osmo Vänskä. A twin cities native, Terry was born in Minneapolis and raised in Bloomington. He grew up in a musical family with strong ties to the Minnesota Orchestra. In the mid-sixties, his family included no fewer than five professional bass players! Terry’s father, Lynn, played bass on the road with Minnesota Orchestra percussionist Elliot Fine in various big bands during the post-WWII years. Terry himself grew up playing bass, studying with both Art Gold and Jim Clute of the Minnesota Orchestra. He had quite a bit of success with the bass: in addition to playing in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and Minnesota All-State Orchestra, Terry started playing jazz and jobbing at age 12, making a living at this on and off the road for a decade starting in 1968. He recorded 4 albums as the bassist with the avant-garde groupThe Whole Earth Rainbow Band.

1968 also marked the start of Terry’s work as an audio engineer. A good sound engineer is hard to find, and is as vital to the finished product as any of the performers. In addition to overseeing audio equipment (microphones, monitors, amplifiers, and audio lines), responsibilities include creating the right balance between various instruments and/or voices, adjusting to the different acoustics of each new venue, making sure the musicians can clearly hear what they need in order to perform well, and communicating and collaborating with the musicians: a necessity in achieving a great performance.

In the early to mid-1970s, Terry ran a small recording studio in addition to working as a teacher and musician at the Guild of Performing Arts on the West Bank and with the Nancy Hauser Dance Company. He has also worked in theatrical sound design for shows at the Guthrie, Penumbra, and Frank Theaters. Over the years, he has collaborated with an impressively long list of artists, the variety and quality of which make clear his excellence across a broad array of styles. Besides the Minnesota Orchestra, Terry has mixed sound for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, Sarah Vaughn, Rosemary Clooney, John Denver, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, BB King, Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull, Rod Stewart, Dianne Reeves, Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck, Bob Hope, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, and many, many more!

From all of the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra: Thank you, Terry, for sharing your time and talents with us! You will be missed!

Julie Haight-Curran

“I make sure that the right people, are in the right place, at the right time, with the right music in the right clothes!” is the definition according Julie Haight-Curran, who retired in December of 2013, after 20 years as Minnesota Orchestra Personnel Manager. In reality, however, the extensive responsibilities of the Personnel Manager include just some of the following tasks:

She/he must have thorough knowledge of the master agreement, prepare and maintain payroll, scheduling of musicians, hiring of substitute and extra musicians, and coordinating auditions. The PM serves as a liaison between conducting staff and musicians; administrative staff and musicians; and the management and musicians’ union. In addition there is a myriad of professional interactions with the musicians on many levels including various committee meetings attended by both parties, coordinating and running auditions, monitoring recording sessions, and managing personnel for domestic and international tours, among many other duties.

Aside from all of this, Julie has consistently demonstrated so much more than the job description outlined above. The unique and special entity of the orchestra family was fully embraced by Julie. The individuals of the orchestra are a jigsaw puzzle of personalities and issues, many of which often appeared in the PM’s lap (not literally – hopefully). The potential for a perfect storm was always possible – and of course happened! It was always wise to peek into the small window in Julie’s door before knocking – better yet, make an appointment. From the moment a musician joined (her favorite task was introducing new players) or retired from the orchestra, she shared in the joy of births, and the grief of deaths and pain of illnesses. Everyone was treated with professionalism, respect, kindness and humor, the latter being one of the most essential qualities.

Her first day of work was the day after Thanksgiving, 1979, as secretary in the Artistic Department, working with Ron Balazs, violin (1954-1993), and PM for 29 of those years, and Ron Hasselmann, Associate Principal trumpet (1958-1999), and Associate PM for 12 years. On that first day of work for Julie, the orchestra was playing Johann Strauss’ Auf der Jagd, which calls for firing a pop gun (fortunately not by the Personnel Manager) coordinated with a rubber chicken flying through the air. Her first task with the Minnesota Orchestra required her to find conductor Leonard Slatkin’s rubber chicken. (One never knows the demands of the conductor.)It was a frantic search as she wondered what in the world she had gotten herself into….

“Ron Balazs was definitely one of a kind. He was always generous with his knowledge, patient with me when I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, inclusive and hard working. I loved double rehearsal days because Ron B and Ron H would include me in their lunches between services. The stories I would hear were fascinating, hilarious, scandalous and most amazingly, I found out later, true. Ron was addicted to the telephone. He rarely said hello, just started talking and rarely said goodbye – just hung up. There were no cell phones or voicemail in those days. Ron had a phone in every room of his house – and I mean every room of his house. I still consider it a privilege and honor to have worked with him. He taught me so much about the history of the musicians, the orchestra and the union struggles – why clauses were the way they were in the contract. The audition process and work hardening for musicians returning to work after injury are both models in the industry.”

Before Julie was hired as Personnel Manager in 1993, she had numerous jobs with the Minnesota Orchestra. She worked in the marketing department, was budget coordinator for non-classical concerts, ran YP concerts for one year, wrote advertising copy, and secured funding and locations for Symphony for the Cities performances. She also ran a telemarketing campaign for subscription concerts, which consisted of tables in the back hallway with about 20 black rotary phones and an order form and pencil at each station – that’s it! In 1988 she had left the MO to she attend the University of St. Thomas, receiving an MBA in 1990, and three years later returned to the Minnesota Orchestra in her new position.

Julie was supported through thick and thin by her late husband, Tom Curran, a great music lover and pianist. As an adult he studied with local classical players enhancing his lengthy jazz background. In another life, Julie was a double bass player studying at the University of Iowa. She and former Minnesota Orchestra bassist, Jim Clute, studied with the same teacher, Eldon Obrecht. Julie’s love of jazz goes back to her high school days starting when she was the bass player for the high school jazz band in Mason City, IA, home of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man! Archaeology has also been a long time interest starting with finding objects on the farm where she grew up in the newly plowed fields in the spring. Recent digs have been to the Mesa Verde area in SW Colorado. Nothing like digging up 1,000 years of history.

She will be greatly missed by everyone. Please join us in wishing her the very best in the next chapter in her life.

Tribute written by Julie Ayer, Minnesota Orchestra violinist (1976-2012) and author of More Than Meets the Ear – How Symphony Musicians Made Labor History

Join the Minnesota Chorale and the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra as we traverse the centuries for an evening of thoughtful and powerfully provocative music by Beethoven, Britten, and one of the most expressive choral works ever written, Mozart’s Requiem. Left unfinished at the composer’s death, the Requiem encompasses the full range of human emotion. Former SPCO Music Director Hugh Wolff returns to the Twin Cities to join forces with an all-star quartet of vocal soloists: Maria Jette, Adriana Zabala, James Taylor and Philip Zawisza. Beethoven’s tumultuous Coriolan Overture opens the program, setting the stage for the impassioned drama of Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, a 1940 composition deeply rooted in his philosophy of non-violence.

The first concerts, Memory and Reverence: Minnesota Chorale in Mozart’s Requiem, are on-sale now.

In addition to the previously announced Echoes of History concerts with Osmo Vänskä that will re-open Northrop at the University of Minnesota, the Musicians will be joined by Maestro Vänskä for a second round of Grammy Celebration Concerts on March 20th and 21st to commemorate our second consecutive Grammy nomination with performances of Sibelius Symphonies No. 1 & 4. The Musicians and Vänskä were nominated last Friday for our second Grammy in as many years for Best Orchestral Performance.

Major Highlights include:

Superstar violinist Joshua Bell will perform with the Musicians Orchestra on April 15th.

Living legend Itzhak Perlman will play with the orchestra as well as conduct on May 14th.

Fresh performances of the first-ever micro-funded symphony, Judd Greenstein’s lushly-scored Acadia (over 400 Minnesotans made small contributions in 2011 to have it written for the popular Inside the Classics Series in 2012), as well as noted pianist Kevin Cole performing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, conducted by former Minnesota Orchestra Associate Conductor Mischa Santora.

“Our goal is to maintain a world-class concert schedule for the community, and we are grateful for the community’s continued support,” cellist Tony Ross said. “We are grateful to these renowned musicians and conductors for their commitment to keep the music alive in Minnesota.”

More concerts in the Musicians’ Symphonic Adventures series, featuring full orchestral performances for area middle and high schools, will be planned in conjunction with the main-stage performances.

If the lockout of the Orchestra ends, the Musicians could work with management to merge any planned concerts produced by the Orchestral Association with those produced by the Musicians.

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WHO WE ARE

The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra are proud to serve our community by bringing artistic excellence to each and every performance. We are deeply committed, both individually and collectively, to enriching and vitalizing our community through inspiring performances of timeless classical music.

Disclaimer: This website is owned and operated by the Minnesota Orchestra Members Association, 501(c)(5). It does not represent the views, positions, or opinions of the Minnesota Orchestral Association but only those of the musicians and their Union, Twin Cities Musicians Union, Local 30-73, American Federation of Musicians.